How summer camps are helping support kids' mental health
We have to meet children and youth where they are, expert says
From homesickness to nervousness around new activities or meeting new people, helping kids through intense emotional moments is nothing new for summer camp communities.
But with mental illness diagnoses and hospitalizations on the rise in Canadian children, experts say many campers have been coming to camp with more severe emotional issues than before the pandemic.
"We're still seeing some of the emotional echoes of that situation, I think," said Suzanne Ross, a community mental health worker and member of the Camp Safety Network in Toronto.
"Some of those structures that existed as stable throughout the year may not have existed in the same way when they're arriving [at] camp," she told The Current's guest host Catherine Cullen.
The biggest difference from previous generations is that kids today have the language to explain how they're feeling, she said.
Mason Al-Adra, 11, deals with anxiety and ADHD, but that didn't keep him away from overnight camp in Alberta this summer.
"Whenever I am having trouble, I go to [my] counsellor Steve and then he'll go over all of my breathing exercises and calming exercises, and that helps me calm down," Al-Adra told The Current.
Camp-specific approach
Part of Ross' work involves assessing what kind of strategies for mental health support are going to align with the camp-specific culture and programming.
"It's important to know what type of strategies and techniques can actually be integrated into a camp day in a practical way," she said. "It's about finding the right fit."
The Camp Safety Network facilitates mental health and wellness sessions to camp staff across southern Ontario so that counsellors have the necessary tools to help campers with emotional self-regulation.
Many members have personal experiences as camp counsellors, directors and healthcare providers, which means they understand firsthand what is needed when it comes to supporting mental wellness at camp.
"They're empowering counsellors and front-line young people to help assess and address issues when possible, and then also setting up strategies for staff when they say this feels bigger than what I can deal with," said Ross.
She estimates 20 to 30 per cent of camps in Ontario have mental health professionals either on-site or on-call. The bulk of responsibility, however, falls on the camp counsellors, since they're much more integrated in the camp community, she said.
On-site support
For Ella Xie, 17, on-site support from counsellors at her camp in B.C., makes a big difference.
"Camp is honestly just such a great place for kids with mental health struggles," she said. "The counsellors are all great and they're all a great support team to the children."
This new level of attention being put on mental health supports and strategies is encouraging some parents to sign their kids up for camp.
"We're sending them to a place that has staff that knows how to support kids," said Stuart Chase, the father of two campers. "Going to camp becomes a contributor to their mental health."
Ross' number one piece of advice for parents is to talk to summer camp providers ahead of time. She recommends parents bring staff into the "circle of care" they hold for their child.
It's also important to understand new emotional issues can sometimes bubble up at camp because children don't have access to their regular routines or coping mechanisms, she said.
Meeting kids where they are
Camp usually only lasts a few weeks, so it's unrealistic to expect it to have a significant impact on kids' mental health in the longer term — "but it can definitely help to some extent," said Tracy Vaillancourt, the Canada research chair in school-based mental health and violence prevention at the University of Ottawa.
"It's not going to represent the panacea, especially for those who have really complex issues, but it will be a reprieve for many. For some of them, this is where they shine," she said.
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, only 20 per cent of youth with severe mental health disorders were able to access care before the pandemic.
Vaillancourt says this hasn't gotten any better, adding that now, most families trying to address their child's mental health needs end up on a wait list.
"It's hard to give advice because I'm telling them to do something that they're not going to be able to access," she said.
Vaillancourt is passionate about school-based programs that support mental health because, like camps, they remove some of the barriers around access.
In order to get children and youth mental health to a more manageable level, we need to meet kids where they are and address the problems from there, she said.
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Audio produced by Shyloe Fagan